Every year, the Wonderlic scores of NFL draft prospects somehow get out, someone gets embarrassed, and the merits of the test as an evaluating tool are debated.
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The issue has arisen once again because LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne reportedly scored low on the 12-minute, 50-question exam.
Cleveland Browns TE Benjamin Watson, who earned one of the highest recorded scores, 48, lambasted the practice of leaking Wonderlic scores to the public.
"I just think the sad thing is, it's not supposed to be made public," Watson said. "I'm all for keeping it private, especially when talking about something that's as sensitive as an aptitude test."
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has also weighed in on the issue.
"Bear in mind that the publicly disclosed information is frequently inaccurate, incomplete or misleading, and often results from an effort of an individual to advance a self-interested goal. What is lost in the pursuit of that goal is concern for the reputation and well-being of the young men who have worked so hard to reach their own goal of becoming an NFL player and concern for the reputation of the NFL and our game," Goodell wrote. "Disclosure of inappropriate private or confidential information concerning draft-eligible players is conduct detrimental to the league and will be met with significant discipline."
Watson isn't sure how much, if at all, that influenced the New England Patriots when they chose him in the first round in 2004 as the 32nd overall pick out of Georgia.
"I don't know how much weight is put on it," Watson told the Boston Herald Thursday. "Some teams, I hear, put a lot of weight on it. Some teams don't care. So I don't know for sure. What I do know is it's not an exact science."
